Bijapur (Chhattisgarh) [India], October 21 (HBTV): In a significant development, 103 Maoists surrendered to authorities in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, abandoning weapons valued at over INR 1 crore, officials said.
The surrendered Maoists, who have now joined mainstream society, were each given a cheque of INR 50,000 as an incentive, according to Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) P. Sundarraj.
On September 28, three Maoists, including a woman cadre, were killed in a gun battle with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district, police said.
According to police, the encounter broke out in the forested hill region of Chhindkhadak village under the Kanker police station limits when a joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) from Kanker and Gariaband, along with Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, launched a search operation.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kanker, I. K. Elesela, stated that during the exchange of fire, two male Maoists and one woman Maoist were neutralised. The slain cadres included an outlaw carrying a bounty of INR 14 lakh.
‘After the encounter, security personnel conducted a search at the site and recovered the bodies of the three Maoists along with weapons, including one SLR, one .303 rifle, one .12-bore gun, and other Maoist-related materials,’ the SSP said.
The operation is part of intensified counter-insurgency measures in the Bastar division, where security forces continue to step up action against the Maoists. In recent months, several high-profile Maoists have been neutralised, weakening the organisational structure of the Naxals.
Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had hailed security forces for achieving a major victory against the Naxalites in Narayanpur along the Maharashtra–Chhattisgarh border.
(ANI)